An elderly man wearing khakis and trimming
a Betazed muktok plant, called out to a grim young man in a jumpsuit who was
just passing by. Cadet! . . . Yes, you; come here for a moment and assist
me, please.

Feeling put upon he complied with dissent.
Pardon me, sir, but Im in a bit of a hurry.

The worn man took a measured sip from
his canteen then splashed some water on his face. So, are you on your
way to the ball field, the simulator, the obstacle course or the classroom.

Ive got a study period; Im
going to use it to bone up on Stellar Navigation.

Where are your books?

Theyre stored in the computer.

But computers have no soul to share;
you must enrich yourself within the pages of literature.

Shifting back and forth tentatively he
proclaimed, I dont have time to enrich myself.

The man turned to tend a droopy leaf on
the ancient plant. Everyone has to make time to build character.

Maybe Ill work on it next
semester, but right now Ive got to study so that I dont flunk
my freshman exams and get booted out of here.

Nonsense; you come too highly touted
for The Academy to dismiss you over a bad grade here or there.

You know who I am?

James Tiberius Kirk, of courseJimmy
to your friends; the first plebe appointed to Team Avenger, the first plebe
to win a spot on Nova Squadron. You led your high school football team to
a state championship as an all-star running back, youre a world class
wrestler, and widely considered the best prep shortstop in The Federation
. . . no doubt the towns prom queen is dutifully awaiting your return
so you can wed.

Kirks face clenched. Why have you
taken the time to familiarize yourself with me?

Yours is a name heralded in the
corridors of power.

Ill do my best to show my
superiors that their faith in me is well placed.

You will have to endure being the
envy of many a cadet that will feel slighted by the acclaim you receive, plus
there will be pressure from the plutocrats who will be wagering heavily on
the outcome of these athletic conteststhey will be quite testy if they
are not rewarded with victories.

Is it your function to psyche out
the new recruits? Because it wont work on me.

He sprinkled nourishment onto the soil
around the plant. I am reminded of a cadet that came through here some
years ago. Like you, he was highly touted in several sports.

And now youre going to tell
me that he washed out of The Academy because he couldnt take the pressure.

Actually he was just named to succeed
Robert April as captain of the Enterprise right after the Peace Mission of
Axanar next spring.

Kirk was agog. Are you talking about
Christopher Pike?

The very same.

Ive followed his career in
logs since the incident at the Altair Six, when he saved the Federation colonists
from the Xindi insurgents.

Oh he has faced many harrowing moments
like that and performed his duties with meritorious excellence.

So, along with everything else,
Ill be expected to live up to his athletic legacy at The Academy.

Or live it down.

What does that mean?

He stood back to look at his treasured
plant with concern. Mister Pikes athletic career here was quite
unremarkable, actually; the hyperbole never came to fruition. He collected
more pine than he threw passes; his pitches were not as potent at this level;
he never scored or received a knockout in the ring and barely won more than
he lost.

So he quit when the going got tough
and you think that Ill do the same.

Christopher Pike never quit anything
in his life. He became a leader by making those around him better.

How could he be a leader if he was
a benchwarmer?

By being there for his teammates,
by working hard to make them better; he rallied players to run further and
compete harder in practice, and even tutored teammates on the verge of losing
eligibility. He was a natural born leader.

Well I dont have any intention
of being a third-rate second-string athlete.

Youve got tough competition
at every position.

Do you work in the athletic department
or something?

He took in the expanse of the lush green
rolling grounds. I am charged with the duty of keeping all the fields
of this institution immaculate, so I service the athletic department as well.

Are you a professor or an instructor?

I am the groundskeeper.

Thats all you do?

He idly stroked a leaf of his muktok sending
it good wishes for a healthy recovery. It takes every drop of my heart
and soul to cultivate these individual shards into a grand mosaic, so I hardly
have time for other endeavors.

But just tending the grounds all
day cant be a very rewarding career.

Nurturing life is its own reward.

Kirk looked around the garden. I
hope that youre not trying to recruit me to takeover after you step
down, because my future is in the stars.

I assure you, Mister Kirk, that
I shall not be stepping down in the foreseeable future.

What did you want to do before you
became a groundskeeper?

Nothing.

I take it you werent a very
ambitious young man.

It was a simpler time . . . a man
only had to find his place in the world then; now people have to fit into
the cosmic scheme of the galaxy.

Well I know that I belong here.

And what lies beyond the protective
cocoon of this institution?

A life of adventure and exploration
on the final frontier.

That is a journey that begins by
looking inward, not upward.

Ive gotten this far by always
focusing on whats in front of me . . . Ive had no difficulties.

He gently poured water over the leaves
of his ailing plant. Maybe that is why you lack a strong character;
we only discover our essence when forced to deal with difficulties.

Difficulties can be avoided by using
good judgment and making sound decisions.

Yet you can do everything right
and still endure defeat.

I believe that mistakes are the
reason for failure.

What about the Kobayashi Maru?

I will never accept a no-win
scenario.

Since The Academy commenced, in
2161, no midshipman or officer has ever achieved a victory on the Kobayashi
Maru mission.

The Kobayashi Maru has thousands
of program variables, which should alert you to the fact that life is filled
with no-win scenarios, and we will be judged by how we face them.

Kirk was resolute. Ill face
them by finding a way to win.

He looked right through the cadet. Why
did you join Starfleet Academy, Mister Kirk?

I came here to serve my country,
like the men in my family have for generations; its the mark of a good
American.

You impress me as a young man that
was lured here by thrilling tomes of space cowboys shooting it out on faraway
worlds; I will wager that youre just spoiling to get out there and blast
your first alien.

I wont cower in the face of
an enemy; if my team or my ship is attacked, they can count on me to respond
with force.

Will you take time to ponder why
these beings are firing on you, or will you just come out with phasers blazing?

Im majoring in Tactics so
that I can defend my ship against an attack; I wont have time to ponder
anything during the heat of battle.

Do you know the difference between
defending and attacking?

Ill attack only in defense.

If thats the way your enemy
feels, how will you determine which of you are wrong?

It wont matter once the battle
has begun; the only objective then is to win.

At any cost?

Losing would be more costly.

Its easier to defeat an opponent
than it is to conquer your limitations.

So whats the difference between
failure and limitations? Kirk puzzled.

I have played the piano poorly all
my life . . . it doesnt make me a failure; it makes me limited.

Well, I dont see a need to
dwell on my limitations.

If you do not face your limitations,
everyone else will.

Thats why I play to my strengths,
Kirk parried.

You would do well to improve your
oratory skills, so you are not so muted, the caretaker critiqued.

Ill speak when spoken to and
answer up appropriately.

Reserved officers that assert no
opinions become inscrutable functionaries, carrying out orders without thought
or imagination.

I came here to serve; that means
taking orders.

It is just as important to know
how to give orders, Mister Kirk. There may come a time when others will turn
to you for their very survival and you must be prepared to respond with authority.

Well Im a long way from being
in command.

Does your fear of failure keep you
from setting high standards?

People with fear arent chosen
for Team Avenger.

All you have to do there is run,
climb, fight and shoot. How about really giving yourself a real challenge
and joining the debate team where you have to think, speak, and pontificate.

Im not interested in wasting
a class every day arguing with folks.

Does your lack of sophistication
make you feel inferior in learned circles? he prodded.

I didnt enter Starfleet Academy
to become a diplomat.

He grew stern with the sapling. Mister
Kirk, it is your responsibility to grow into a well-rounded officer that can
handle any situation. You have just identified a weakness in your character
and therefore I admonish you to take steps to rectify it immediately before
it retards your progress.

How do you win a debate?

By entering into it.

I wouldnt change my position
no matter how the judges voted.

What if you were asked to make an
argument that you did not believe in?

Kirk was stumped. What purpose would
that serve?

By seeing your position from another
perspective you will be able to comprehend your opponent.

Kirk was not swayed. Ill only
fight for what I believe in.

So you will disobey your captains
orders if you do not support his decision.

Kirk went cold. Thatd be mutiny.

Since you will be the officer at
the tactical station annihilating life on command, shouldnt you assert
your opinion?

Captains have to follow Starfleet
regulations as well as The Prime Directive, so they are not laws unto themselves
that arbitrarily attack on a whim.

What if your captain disobeys The
Prime Directive; should he be relieved of duty?

General Order Three, Paragraph One
states that the captain can only be relieved of duty by the first officer
if the second-officer and chief-medical officer concur, Kirk recited.

Has a captain ever been relieved
of command in that fashion?

No; never.

Captains make snap decisions in
a crisis moment based on everything they have learned; they follow the instincts
of their beliefs and rely on their training. They dont have time to
consult the rule book.

Captains make command decisions
based on the regulations in the manual.

And article one; paragraph one,
forbids us to have contact with planets that do not know of other worlds;
violation of this law is our highest form of treason.

Starfleet Academy teaches every
officer these rules, so that we dont break them unknowingly.

Then Christopher Pike should have
been prosecuted after the incident at Merid Four.

That was an extraordinary circumstance
and he was commended for his heroism, Kirk advocated.

He disobeyed the explicit orders
of Captain April, by commandeering a shuttle to go into the nebula so he4
could rescue those aliens . . . he outright violated The Prime Directive.

Those beings would have been killed.

What do the lives of nine Meridians
mean in an infinite universe?

Every life should be considered.

But a billion people on that planet
watching their viewers saw a U.F.O. rescue their comrades by turning them
into particles of energy and beaming them aboard a starship full of strange
looking creatures from a planet five dozen solar systems away.

Then whyd the captain aid
an officer thatd basically mutinied?

Captain April had lost sight of
the individuality of life for seeing the greater whole. Mister Pikes
passionate stance moved the captain to rethink his position and help those
fellow explorers get home to their loved ones.

And what kept Starfleet Command
from enforcing the law and dismissing all the officers involved?

The sincerity of Mister Pikes
desire to save those individuals, the nobility of his captains support,
and the plea from those whose lives had been spared by his heroism proselytized
the tribunal. He gained respect for being an officer willing to accept the
responsibility of his convictions . . . Shortly thereafter, Captain April
made Mister Pike his first officer and groomed him for the captaincy,
he noted with pride.

So youre one of those who
believes the ends justify the means.

Because of Christopher Pikes
courage, not only was the space station crew saved, but we provide Merid Four
with vaccines that have wiped out prevalent diseases; we furnished them with
replicaters and hunger was eliminated . . . millions who would have died in
the coming decades will be alive and well because of that first contact.

But thats interfering with
the natural progression of the planet, Kirk protested.

Saving babies from a life of deformity,
feeding starving masses, healing the terminally ill is our obligation.

We dont have the wisdom to
play God.

So only advanced civilizations have
the right to expect food when they are hungry and medicine when they are sick?

Are we expected to provide it?

If we are able to, how can we not?

Because it violates The Prime Directive.

He pulled off his straw hat and poured
some water through it. In order to evolve as a species, we must make
laws to guide our intentions, but we must also make allowances that compensate
for our lack of comprehension; we must govern our passions without losing
our compassion.

But weve got to have rules
that protect us and others from our ignorance.

Rules have brought about opposition
and war since the dawn of time, because there are exceptions that must be
factored in.

Excuses!

Reasons . . .

Well, I wouldnt condone any
action that violated The Prime Directive.

He plopped his hat back on his head. Then
it is a good thing for Christopher Pike and Merid-Four that you were not captain
of the USS Enterprise that day.

My only option would have been to
follow regulations to the letter.

We are the sum of the choices we
make, destined to be judged by what we are willing to sacrifice to stand by
our principles.

Is this what goes on in a debate
class?

You will find out when you report
to our debate master Professor John Gill; he will meet with you after your
last class today. Be punctual and enthused.

You say that as if it were an order.

It is time you learn about another
kind of tactical engagement.

A war of words will not win battles.

He allowed himself a chuckle at the naivety
of youth. Young man, people had to fight and die on planets all over
the galaxy for the right to question any law, disagree with leaders, stand
up for beliefs and join with others who share the same goals . . . we do battle
to preserve those ideals.

But those rights should conform
to the rules and regulations we live by.

That is a very dispassionate outlook
to apply when lives hang in the balance.

I believe control is an important
part of maturity; stability is necessary for leadership to be maintained.

Boothby reached into a weathered leather
satchel that was lying at his feet and retrieved an ancient hardcopy. Then
here; read about a captain that abandons himself and his crew to sate his
obsession.

Kirk gingerly took the book into his hands
and read the title with a furrowed brow. Whats it about?

You will have to decide that for
yourself.

Kirk opened the book and looked inside,
incredulously. This book is already inscribed to me.

I was certain that you would benefit
greatly by reading this epic piece of literature over and over again.

So, who do I have to thank for this?

The names Boothby.

Well thanks, Mister Boothby.

Just, Boothby.

P I C A R D

An aged man wearing a lumberjack coat,
carefully pulling fading petals off a Bajoran lilac, shouted to a contumacious
youth in a jumpsuit who was just passing by. Excuse me, Cadet . . .
dont ignore me; come over here for a moment, I require your assistance.

The cadet strolled over indignantly. What
can I do ya for, mate?

Do you know anything about horticulture?

I grew up toiling in my fathers
vineyard, but had no stomach for it, so here I am.

Oh yes, Picard . . . I admit to
having a less than sophisticated palate, but even I am aware your family name
is celebrated by wine enthusiasts the world over.

Picard sniffed haughtily. Growing
and crushing grapes is a tedious business, bereft of imagination; I have very
much more to accomplish with my life.

Boothby took a pull of his canteen and
dabbed the perspiration on his face with a handkerchief. So you came
to Starfleet Academy in order to runaway from home and turn your back on the
family business.

Im not some errant adolescent
running off to join the circus, no matter what my father and brother believe,
Picard grumbled. I came to Starfleet Academy to compete against the
so-called, best and brightest . . . so far it hasnt been
much of a challenge.

Well you have only been here a short
while; perhaps in time you will develop the depth needed to appreciate the
training you are receiving.

I could teach most of these instructors
a thing or two about quite a lot.

I take it you have figured it all
out.

I do, indeed . . . The key is to
be assertivea timid man cannot lead others. Once I prove my superiority,
these pushy upperclassmen will fall in line behind me.

And the officers that instruct you?

Not an impressive lot, overall.
Picard graded. Certainly the most capable and daring officers in Starfleet
are light years away from this place.

Like it says over the archway: To
boldly go where no one has gone before. Exploration is still the path
that leads to the greatest glory.

Have you no worlds left to conquer
here on Earth?

All thats left to do here
is walk in the footsteps of others; I am more than ready to leave this world
behind and begin the journey.

Boothby sprinkled herbs over the alien
flora. For one who prides himself on accepting great challenges, I was
surprised to see that you were not signed up to enter the spring marathon
on Delulin-Two.

I compete in rugged sports of strength
and skill, where you engage your opponent head to head; like wrestling, fencing,
and soccer.

The greatest competition you face
in a marathon is yourself; thats why it is the most difficult of contests.
It takes character to compete against your own mental and physical weakness.

Picards jaw tightened. Im
not daunted by the prospect of running a marathon nor am I persuaded by your
agitating psychology.

Boothby stood so close to Picard the brim
of his straw hat tipped his nose. You impress me as a frontrunner that
picks his spots; if you cannot win you do not participate . . . you even allow
yourself to believe that a contest beyond your abilities is unworthy of your
consideration.

Picard took a step back. I shrink
from no challenge; I choose to engage in competitions that require a display
of expertise, where strategies are needed to be victorious . . . running is
exercise, not sport.

The marathon is the greatest arena
for a cadet to show the hierarchy what theyre made of; The Academy Marathon
is after all the Sport of Admirals. Boothby took off his hat and inched
forward. Of course you would have to find the character to enter the
competition knowing you have no chance for victory, with the eyes of your
peers and superiors upon you.

Were I to compete in the marathon,
I would bloody well win it!

Win it? Boothby dismissed.
No freshman has ever won the marathon; you would do well just to finish.

Theres no pride in moral victories;
theres only one victor amid a field of losers . . . anyone who believes
differently is only jollying themselves.

Well it seems that you have found
a challenge here after all . . . now you have to discover the fortitude to
accept it.

Very well, Ill accept the
challenge . . . and not because of your attempt to manipulate me, Picard
insisted. If these mucky mucks think their marathon is such a treasure
then my victory will bring them to their feet to honor me.

Are you solely motivated by accolades?

It is my intention to be the top
candidate in my class; if winning the marathon is the first step on that road
then I will gladly take it.

Do you know where last years
top graduate is right now?

I havent the foggiest.

In the same boat with the person
who graduated last in the class; a lowly ensign, stumbling through daily mistakes,
finding out that everything they learned here has only prepared them to deal
with their inevitable failures.

Then what is the purpose of this
place?

This is your proving ground,
Boothby edified. Beyond all the tests, you are being measured for your
ability to persevere. Notice that the freshman dorms are not as crowded as
they were before the holidays . . . who will be back for next semester?

Rest assured that I will be here
to the last, Picard confidently declared. I will forge a legacy
like no other candidate in the history of this institution.

Do you know who James T. Kirk was?

A starship captain.

And Babe Ruth was a baseball player.

Ill have to take your word
for that.

Mister Kirk was an unassuming farm
boy dedicated to duty and he left this institution with the most stellar record
of them all; he was an athletic champion of the first order; he was master
of arms on Team Avenger and commanded Nova Squadron; he garnered more commendations,
medals and promotions than any candidate in history.

I do know that he is the only cadet
to successfully rescue the ship on the Kobayashi Maru mission . . . until
I take a crack at it.

He was highly touted when he arrived
and yet exceeded every expectation before he left, Boothby hailed. When
his name was read at graduation, his classmates and instructors stood and
cheered him for fully fifteen minutes . . . I admit to getting a lump in my
throat when I recall that day.

I guess I have my work cut out for
me if I am to best his record.

You will have enough to contend
with just to get past your own limitations, without worrying about challenging
the Kirk legend.

Rubbish. Ill carve my own
niche; one that will put his to shame.

The lesson Mister Kirk learned at
great expense was that success comes when you defeat the enemy within . .
. I wonder what it will cost you to learn that invaluable lesson.

What did it cost Kirk?

Very nearly his career in Starfleet,
Boothby recounted. After his first deep space mission, he stood on this
very spot at a crossroads, ready to pack it in; his confidence was in shambles
and his pride had been stripped away. Fortunately for the galaxy, he was able
to conquer his insecurity and regain himself.

I suffer from no such shortcoming.

Of course you do . . . those with
the loftiest goals are always driven by their insecurities.

Insecurities lead to failure.

The fear of failure is the mother
of success for the person who accepts that they are fallible, because they
will acknowledge their limitations honestly; however, it is the recipe for
disaster for those who believe that they are invincible, because they will
expend half of their effort trying to cover up their limitations. Boothby
stared down at the hallowed ground beneath their feet. Mister Kirk was
able to overcome those insecurities and make his limitations his greatest
strengths . . . that is the part of his legacy you would do well to concern
yourself with equaling and leave behind your lust for his laurel wreaths.

You speak as if you knew this man
personally.

There were those who knew him far
better than I.

But he was a cadet here seven decades
ago.

And yet I remember those days like
they were yesterday . . . actually, sometimes better than I remember yesterday,
Boothby deadpanned dryly.

Funny, you dont look Vulcan.

I am all too human.

There are no immortal humans.

And I shall not be the first.

So when were you born?

I thought you had no interest in
history.

Only as it pertains to the present.

Well then, you will have a chance
to discover how much of the present is contained in the past when you take
Professor Richard Galens archeology course next semester.

Picards eyes grew wide. I
will be taking no such course.

Boothbys eyes narrowed. In
fact you will, Mr. Picard. I managed to intrigue the good professor by describing
your singular persona . . . he loves a challenge, so he agreed to take you
on.

What worth is there in studying
the ruins of dead civilizations and broken chunks of ancient pottery?

A masterpiece that has decayed is
no less a masterpiece, because the master lives on through that work and speaks
to us across the eras. Their contributions are touchstones to other times;
their work steppingstones to greater achievements still. They provide the
present with inspiration.

Humanity grows by leaving behind
that which is obsolete.

Even though the automobile is obsolete,
it no less changed the world.

But has nothing to do with the world
we live in today.

Which do you believe is a greater
accomplishment; a Constellation Class starship or The Wright Flyer?

Obviously a Constellation Class
starship . . . by a factor of warp-eight.

And yet a Constellation Class starship
is only a moderate improvement over the Constitution Class starships that
came before, whereas The Wright Flyer was thousands of millenniums ahead of
the human race.

Well since I will never fly in an
aeroplane or ride in an automobile, I hardly see the need to study them.

You cannot know where you are going
until you find out where you have been . . . it is called perspective and
it is a crucial aspect of wisdom that must be developed.

I know who I am . . . that is enough.

But you fail to realize who you
are to others. You heed only your own trumpet call, without taking measure
of those around you; you see the world as a backdrop with you in the foreground
. . . this does not describe a man who will be capable of leading others.

People will follow the person who
formulates the best plan of action and executes it with efficiency.

How can you know what is best for
others without considering them? How will you know their strengths when all
you focus on is besting them so you can feel superior?

I will lead by example.

In order to lead, you must be trusted.
Would you sacrifice your life or your career to save another; will you be
able to order a friend to his death to save strangers?

In the completion of a mission or
to save the ship, a commanding officer will have to give orders knowing that
they will possibly result in death.

That is what it says in the big
green book, but what source will you draw upon to decide when losses are acceptable?
Boothby looked at the young man pleadingly. At what cost will your victories
come?

Every officer knows that performing
their duty may result in making the ultimate sacrifice.

But every officer believes that
they will never be sacrificed for the sake of an ambitious glory hound seeking
opportunity through victory. Such an officer would never be given responsibility
for the lives of others, because it would result in justifiable mutiny.

Picard was steadfast. An officer
unwilling to take risk should hang up the uniform and go to work in my family
vineyard; space exploration is not for the faint of heart.

Starfleet trains young men to be
Caesars of the galaxy on starships laden with enough weaponry to conquer planets
and subjugate their people. Even after all the loyalty oaths an officer swears
to, there is always concern that absolute power will corrupt absolutely.

And you believe wasting a class
everyday studying ancient rubble and antiquated machinery will keep me from
enslaving a primitive population as a living God.

Boothby reached into a tattered leather
satchel that was lying at his feet and retrieved an ancient hardcopy. Now
read a tale of legend and lore, from a time when the tyranny of barbarism
was battled by the might of peace in the name of God, at the dawn of liberty.

With a skeptical look Picard accepted
the weighty yellowed text. This is written in Greek.

Not only will you get to take a
literary adventure through days of yore, but you will learn a new language
while you do . . . yet another challenge before you.

I already speak three languages.

Three down, thousands that we know
of to go in the tiny corner of out galaxy we have charted.

Perhaps while reading your history
texts, you came across mention of the Universal Translator; its been
in use for over a century now.

The Universal Translator did nothing
to aid Captain Mark Jameson of the USS Gettysburg when he recently tried to
negotiate a trade agreement with the Jarada of Torona-Four. He left out a
word in the closing and they were so insulted they immediately shutdown communications.
They will not reopen negotiations with us for another twenty years.

So who cares about one more trade
agreement more or less?

The Federation for one. An empire
needs materials to sustain itself; just on our planet of eleven billion people
alone.

That is why we have replicaters.
Otherwise we could not feed the world population.

We cannot replicate precious ores,
so we need to network with other cultures in good faith for our own survival.
Captain Jameson was privately censured for his failure to salvage negotiations.

Well its not like anyone was
killed over it.

Miscommunications have led to death
and disaster over the millenniums . . . look how many souls have perished
tragically over the last century-and-a-half because of our inability to communicate
and negotiate with other worlds.

Believe me; when I run into a Klingon
or a Romulan or those Cardassians, I shall make my meaning quite clear.

Boothby frowned thoughtfully. Let
us hope between this moment and then you gain the wisdom to interpret their
meaning . . . Now I told Professor Galen that you would call on him as a courtesy
before homeroom tomorrow morning; I expect for you to make a good impression,
in spite of yourself.

You sound as if youre giving
me an order, yet you have no pips on your collar and youre not wearing
a uniform. Im curious; do you outrank me?

Suffice to say I have seniority,
Mister Picard. Now be there at the appointed time and on your best behavior.

The groundskeeper? What experiences
does a gardener draw on to impart wisdom?

The knowledge that certain seedlings
need more care than others to reach their potential.

J A N E W A Y

An elderly man wearing a straw hat, raking
leaves in the rose garden, called out to a distracted young woman in a jumpsuit
who was just passing by. Say there, missy, be a dear and give me a hand
with these . . . they could use a girls sprightly touch.

Its Mister Janeway; not missy,
if you please, sir . . . and I have no aptitude for gardening.

Boothby looked her over. Mister
Kathryn Janeway . . . has a rather odd ring to it, dont you think?

I dont carry enough rank to
say anything about it; maybe a new breed of woman will take power and demand
the respect that comes with her rank and gender.

You certainly are entitled to have
an opinion about being referred to as a male entity rather than a female one.

Though offensive to my feminine
sensibilities it is considered acceptable as a matter of protocol.

Certainly you do not advocate being
called a midship-person?

Id choose it over, Missy.

So how would you have someone properly
address you?

Cadet Janeway would do in this circumstance;
one day Ensign . . . Captain Janeway has a nice ring to it.

Boothby woefully shook his head. We
live in an era of endless titles, appellations, ranks, hyphenations, suffixes,
prefixes, preambles and post scripts; I had hoped that the concept of offering
a résumé as a form of greeting would have ended in the Twenty-First
Century, but it has grown exponentially.

With greater accomplishments come
longer titles.

Tell that to Moses.

And who are you, sir?

I am Boothby; the groundskeeper
of this institution.

You dont have a rank?

My love of the stars is strictly
earthbound, so I require no rank to serve here.

Why would someone with no interest
in space travel work at Starfleet Academy?

These grounds are like the universe,
Boothby paralleled. We romp across its expanse, we view it as the backdrop
of our moment, yet each shred of life like every light in the sky has an origin,
a heritage, a future and an epitaph . . . just like these grounds; just like
these students. Boothby clipped a red rose and handed it to her.

Every flower here receives the same
care, yet some flourish, while others perish; some are radiant while others
wither . . . each individual fulfills their destiny to make up the garden.
Boothby stood back from the flowerbed. At this distance it looks perfect;
the symmetry of the rows, the sweep of the design . . . yet upon further inspection,
the magnificence of some disguises the weakness of others some must
be plucked so that others may grow.

I smell a manure analogy coming
on . . .

I believe that goes without saying
. . . After we have endured the dirty work and invested our hearts and souls
into the task at hand, we must evaluate what we have accomplished and ask
ourselves a truthful question.

Was it worth it? Janeway guessed.

Am I committed? Boothby corrected.
Its one thing to put forth the effort to design so immaculate
a garden once and quite another to spend a lifetime toiling to maintain this
botanical masterpiece.

Well Im definitely committed
to cultivating my career in Starfleet.

And is this motivation fostered
by a sense of self awareness or are you here to chase the ghost of your late
father?

Im here to make a name for
myself, Janeway stated.

You already have a name, and it
is a potent one in Starfleet: Admiral Edward Janeways daughter.

Thats not how I want people
to think of me.

Then you are in the wrong place,
because his shadow looms large and his accomplishments resonate.

Then there are definitely others
that he inspired more than me.

How will you fill the shoes of the
cadet who went on to become the youngest Admiral in Starfleet history?

My own shoes fit very well thank
you and Ill wear them to get where Im going so far they
got me here without any piggybacking.

It might make things a lot easier
for you when the chips are down to play your ace in the hole.

That would be like cheating.

Many of the instructors here served
with your father, some even attended The Academy with him; it might buy you
an awful lot of good will when the going gets tough.

I wont be trading on anyones
name to get any special privileges. Ill earn my keep fair and square
and build my reputation with my bare hands.

The road to hoe for a woman at The
Academy is still twice as difficult as it is for a man. Perhaps your father
forgot to tell you that this is still a good old boy network.

With as many women that have served
with heroism and commanded with distinction, Starfleet should no longer be
considered a mans eminent domain.

There are still many areas in Starfleet
where women have barely made a mark; particularly at vital duty stations where
snap decisions can result in life or death.

Women have proven that they can
take their place as skilled bridge officers.

Oh certainly, at ops, communications,
even engineering . . . but they are viewed as potential liabilities in crisis
situations, because men lose perspective when there is a damsel in distress.

Women have shown that they can take
care of themselves in dangerous situations.

Yet first officers still hesitate
to include them on away teams; God Bless us, but we males feel an instinctive
need to protect the female of the species in times of danger and that attitude
has jeopardized the success of missions.

Captain Rachel Garrett certainly
didnt wither under fire at Narndra-Three; her bravery may never be surpassed
by an officer of any rank of gender.

Rachel Gung-Ho Garrett;
the first female selected to captain our proud flagship and the first to have
the flagship destroyed in battle with all hands lost.

She saved thousands of lives on
the outpost.

There are some that will debate
the wisdom of her command decision to protect an enemy against an enemy.

But because the Klingons believe
that the greatest honor is sacrificing your life in battle, they gained respect
and trust for us and now theyre members of The Federation.

So for all that loss, our reward
is to have the treacherous Klingons as our allies. That hardly seems equitable.

But how many more Federation lives
would have been lost in a sustained conflict with the Klingon Empire?

We had been holding our own against
them for nearly two hundred years of Cold War; there was no need for an overture
to bring them into our lair.

That Cold War was heating up and
maybe wouldve exploded by now. Their underground alliance with the Romulans
was as strong as their open negotiations with The Federation. Captain Garretts
actions changed all that; her decision to protect the outpost may have saved
the quadrant.

Well, I will tell you this; if James
T. Kirk had been in command of the Enterprise that day, he would have left
those soulless Klingons to the fate of the merciless Romulans; he would not
have ordered his ship into a hopeless battle against a squadron of warbirds.

Then its a good thing he wasnt
captain of the Enterprise that day; theres been enough bloodshed . .
. he of all people knew the price of conflict.

Jim Kirk wasnt the only one
turning over in his grave when the Klingons became members of The Federation.

He was at Axanar and Organia and
Khitomer, which eventually led to Algeron and the Second Khitomer Accords,
Janeway pointed out. He mustve known the value of peace.

He understood that peace must be
won in battle before it can be negotiated at the table. If not for The Battle
of Axanar there would have been no Peace Mission of Axanar.

That battle could have either led
to war or peace . . . they chose peace.

Well then what did Captain Garrett
choose?

To do battle in the name of peace.

How can someone do battle and kill
in the name of peace?

When it is the only way to bring
peace.

Boothby took off his hat to fan himself.
You speak as if you were a midshipman on the fast track to command,
yet you major in Cartographical Sciences. Forgive me for saying this, but
you can go chart stars from an observatory on a hillside or at your home computer
and make room here for someone who has the desire for adventure and exploration.

Im also studying Propulsion
Matrix and Gravitational Navigation. Those are courses that will qualify me
for bridge positions.

Bully! Just what Starfleet needs;
another female who bounces around the bridge, moving from the science station,
to ops, to command as if they were just consoles to manage.

A lot of men have taken that path
to command.

One of the stops on the road to
the captains chair is first officer. Tell me; when you are leading an
away team that is under fire, will you draw on your experience as a stellar
cartographer to form a battle plan? Will your study of matrixical phenomena
qualify you to give orders to skilled tacticians? Will you have the confidence
to yield to strategies offered by experienced officers of lesser rank, or
will you arrogantly shove your clusters in their faces and lead them to disaster?

By the time Im in that situation,
Ill have had experience and Ill be ready to face those challenges.

How will you get experience; by
writing a comprehensive treatise about some celestial anomalies? That ought
to inspire a lot of confidence among your subordinates when red alert sounds
and your enemy powers up their weapons.

Janeway became visibly agitated. I
can handle myself in a crisis situation; Im not some brittle socialite
given to panic.

And what if you have done your utmost
and the endeavor ends in failure?

Nobody can do more than they can
do.

Which is exactly why you must thrust
yourself into a position of certain inglorious failure; you must take on challenges
beyond your capability of ever succeeding; you must push yourself to make
a journey that you will never complete no matter how many times you fall and
get up.

There is no worthwhile reason to
set yourself up for complete failure.

Be sure to impart that bit of wisdom
to your instructor just before you take the Kobayashi Maru test.

So youre suggesting I need
a crash course in failure.

Which is the same as learning how
to be successful.

And what course does The Academy
offer that would prime me for learning to succeed through failure?

The course varies for each individual.
One persons weakness is anothers strength. For instance many men
have variously succeeded on Team Avenger, yet no female cadet has ever been
offered an appointment.

Women have faced sexist selection
practices since the dawn of time . . . some things never change.

Certainly you are not suggesting
that a Twentieth Century double standard be applied when admitting women into
programs, providing them with stepladders to scale walls or lowering the acceptable
performance to give them a position they have not earned?

Well, maybe no woman has had the
desire to enter the Avenger program.

Actually none have put forth the
effort to warrant consideration. A cadet that seeks to spend time crawling
across rugged terrain with their face in the mud, scaling treacherous peaks
by their fingertips, dealing with tactical chaos and grappling toe to toe
with maniacal predators when there are far more esoteric courses to be enjoyed
must have a great deal of intestinal fortitude and mental resolution.

You certainly dont make it
sound like an appealing program.

I am sure all of the men that passed
and even those who failed would agree with you, yet each would tell you that
theyre a better man for having endured the experience . . . do you have
any interest in being a better man, Mister Janeway?

Janeway was insulted. There are
many ways a person can better themselves without becoming a man.

It would be difficult to maintain
your Victorian coiffure in such a rigorous program.

The physical fitness training and
the self defense classes here have more than mussed my hair.

Many still believe that women are
promoted through the ranks so we can feel as if we are an enlightened species,
despite all evidence to the contrary . . . underscored by the fact that men
cannot bear to acknowledge a female superior by respectfully calling her Maam.
Even calling them Miss denotes weakness in the chain of command. Some woman
is going to have to step up and change the trend.

Janeway got a sinking feeling as his intentions
became clear. You dont expect for me to volunteer for Team Avenger.

You dont volunteer; you campaign
for The Commandants appointment by enacting methodical feats of courage
and executing strategies with logistical cunning; you must spiritually immerse
yourself in their esprit de corp; Ex Astris, Militis! You must not only be
willing to kill and die for the cause against our enemies, but you must know
when it is time to dispatch those around you for the greater good without
hesitation even when you believe it might be wrong . . . even when you know
it is right.

Im not out to play God.

Do you know what the difference
between God and a starship captain is?

In his time, Jim Kirk was referred
to by name in that joke. Actually it gave it more clarity . . . in fact, I
think I will tell it that way from now on.

My father told it to me that way
. . . he was far more interested in the adventures of James T. Kirk than he
was in my life.

While he was a cadet, your father
spent many an hour at Commandant Harrimans knee drinking in adventurous
tales from the era of Cowboy Diplomacy ushered in by Admiral Kirk.

And you can be sure he told all
those stories to me at least once . . . or sent them to me in subspace messages.

Boothby looked at her compassionately.
You impress me as a little girl lost, who became enamored by stellar
research while spending all that time looking into the heavens and wondering
where on Earth your daddy was.

I accepted that my father was busy
with his life and I got on with mine, Janeway responded flatly. He
had other priorities, so I found mentors that developed my interests. We were
strangers in many ways . . . except for our love of strong black coffee, we
had little in common.

And yet I see him and hear him so
clearly in you.

Im certain you meant that
as a compliment.

The last time I spoke with Admiral
Janeway, you had lost a tennis match and you were so angry that you stormed
off the court and kept walking for fifteen miles, even after a deluge broke
out . . . he was very proud of his Katie.

You know, the reason that story
has grown is because he only heard about it through others . . . then obviously
added his own touches.

I am certain he had the essentials
of the story correct and he was genuinely impressed by your character.

What he didnt tell you, because
he didnt know, since he wasnt around, is that I was so infuriated
by losing that match I never played tennis again.

Yes I can see by your walk that
you furthered your dabbling in ballet . . . he said you showed poise and discipline
as a dancer, but that was probably just a father going on about his oldest
girl.

He knew little about me and filled
in the blanks in his own image. That way I would be the person he wanted to
believe I was.

He seemed to believe that you were
a person capable of exceeding their limitations with determination. Perhaps
that was just more wishful thinking on his part, because he never got to know
the person you became . . . one who is content to merely go through the motions
and accept the status quo.

Janeways chin involuntarily jutted
forward and she steeled herself with resolve. So how would I go about
getting an appointment to the Avengers?

What are you willing to give to
the cause?

My best effort.

That is easily given . . . commitment
is based on giving what you cannot bear to part with.

You make it sound like a quest.

And so it begins . . . I have arranged
a meeting for you with the Strategic Operations Officer, Captain Owen Paris
tomorrow at the flagpole after last assembly . . . be on time and ready to
impress him with your intentions.

My intentions to do what?

In order to get the attention of
The Commandants council, and receive an appointment to Team Avenger,
you must make the Parrise Squares varsity team.

That was my dads sport; not
mine.

It was indeed his sport, Boothby
praised. He was on the team in back in Twenty-Four that beat Minsk for
the championship.

Yes I believe he made mention of
that on several hundred occasions . . .

Did you know that we have not won
another tournament since then?

Im a novice at that sport,
at best . . . the women on the team are far more skilled than I am; Ill
never make it.

It is just as well, because being
accepted onto the womens team would not merit notice by The Commandant.
You must be the first woman in the history of The Academy to make the varsity.

If I dont have the ability
to make the womens team, how will I be able to make the varsity?

Right now you must focus on preparing
yourself for the attempt and then we will assess potential outcomes,
Boothby prepped.

It is difficult to knowingly choose
a course of action that you believe to be futile.

Success and failure are both ripples
in the pond of life. From them springs other successes and failures. Sacrifice
is not always a noble undertaking; it is often anonymous and painful.

How did you know that I would even
accept your cockamamie proposal?

Because Rachel Garrets valiant
sacrifice must be a catalyst for women to attain posts they have never held
to date. Boothby gazed at the rose in Janeways hand wistfully.
That is the only thing she has left to hope for.

Janeway stared at the wizened man as if
trying to see herself through his eyes. I admit that Im intrigued
by the possibility of doing something that has never been done before.

That has been the key ingredient
of every great accomplishment . . . as well as every great disaster.
Boothby reached into his brand new leather satchel and retrieved an ancient
hardcopy. Take this book and read it voraciously, so you will see what
happens when a person gives there all in a hopeless pursuit.

Janeway held the book gently. I
take it the title is a clue to its content.

Never judge a book by its cover
. . . begin your assessment after you have read it for the second time.

This book is about an impossible
journey.

The only impossible journeys are
the ones we never take.

Plus Ive got to take on over
two centuries of tradition, Janeway pouted.

When the institution first opened
and for nearly a century-and-a-half, the inscription over the archway read:
Where no man has gone before. A variation of the ancient declaration
made by astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped foot on the moon. Well, it
took some doing, but one person continuously badgered the committee to rewrite
the tradition so it reads as it does now.

One person? How could one person
badger the committee for over a century?

I am actually quite a persistent
fellow when strongly motivated.

Im beginning to see that,
Janeway realized. So, just how old are you?